Twelfth Night Essay

1556 words - 7 pages

Twelfth Night is a magnificent comedy written by famous writer William Shakespeare. Twelfth Night or What you will was probably written for performance on the Twelfth Night i.e. the last night of the Christmas holiday ,January 6th in the year 1601.it is also likely that it was first presented before queen Elizabeth I in a great hall of her palace of Whitchali ,just outside London. the play would suit such an occasion since it’s a delightful ,lighthearted comedy ,full of love and laughter ,and with only a cloud or two to pass across the happy sunshine. But what about the social background of the play? For many centuries Christian communities have celebrated the feast of Epiphany-the time ...view middle of the document...

Olivia falls in love with ‘Cesario’; the true Viola loves the Duke. Her twin brother, exactly like her in outward appearance, unwittingly resolves this hopeless situation by being persuaded to marry Olivia, leaving viola free to marry Orsino. In the second plot, Malvolio, Olivia’s steward, is tricked by her uncle and her maid servant (Sir Toby and Maria) into believing that she is in love with him; as a result he behaves so strangely that he is taken to be mad and locked up. Sir Toby and the others mock him but he wins Olivia’s sympathy in the end.
Act three scene one was chosen because it consists of all the evidence that makes the play both entertaining and educational. The scene chosen starts with Viola (Cesario) going to Olivia’s house once again. There she meets Feste who is Olivia’s fool and he amuses her, then she meets Sir Toby and Sir Andrew. When Maria (Olivia’s maid) comes in with Olivia, Olivia quickly dismisses the rest, and, left alone with Viola ’Cesario’ she openly declares her love. Thus the use of themes ,conflict ,disguise ,dialogue ,soliloquy/aside, stage conventions and actions by the characters which highlight character traits and provide theatrical appeal contributes to the educational and entertaining value of Act three scene one in the play Twelfth Night.
The themes in Act three scene one are both educational and filled with entertainment .The themes are as follows:1.Deception to a means end 2.Appearance vs. reality 3.The impact of romantic love. The themes in this act are filled with educational value as they give an insight on realities of life. For example they show that in life one can be easily deceived. They also show how words can be used to give different meanings and connotations. The themes also show how love can affect us as human beings. The themes add to the entertainment value of the play because they stir up humour and leave the audience eager for more. The themes are enhanced by Conflict as
A play with only laughter would be too far from reality. Disguise enhances the theme deception to a means end as many characters are fooled by disguise. An example of when disguise fooled characters is when Viola dressed up as a young man and Olivia fell in love with her. Viola realizes this and tries to wade off Olivia by saying ‘I am not what I am.’ But still Olivia falls for her disguise. Disguise also adds to Appearance vs. reality thus showing that everything is not what it seems. Dialogue also enhances this theme as it brings about Imagery. An example where Imagery is created is in the lines ‘If one should be a prey, how much the better to fall before the Lion than the wolf.’ Imagery cause one to think and visualize thus aiding both educationally and contributing to entertainment. Soliloquy / Aside enhance the themes thus causing one to gather the essence of it all. They also show that in life one often ponders and reflects upon various situations encountered. Stage...

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